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DIVE SITES
ODDIE'S DINGDING 
A recent addition to the local dive sites, this is an 8m/25' high wall located off Manila Channel. The wall is covered with 3m/7' gorgonian sea fans and large black coral trees, not seen at other dive spots in the locality. Numerous small holes in the wall are home to eels and blue-triggerfish. Stingrays are common on the sandy patch below the wall and a tremendous variety of soft corals can be studied on the shallower (25m/80') end of the wall. Good Nitrox dive. MANILA CHANNEL 
You start the dive in shallow water around 5m/15ft on a beautiful reef, which is alive with hard and soft corals and hundreds of small tropical fish. Anthias, Butterfly fish, Damsels, Parrot fish and many more abound. The reef slopes off to a sandy bottom and as you follow the contours of the reef on a flood tide the clear water from the Verde Passage helps you drift into the channel as you drop off to around 18m/60ft moving past a small wall covered with Fans and whip corals. Surgeon fish, Tuna, Snapper and sweet lips are common to this area. After the wall the contour begins to slope back up to shallow water. Large Basket Sponges, Fans and Green Tree Corals cover the reef. Best to dive on Flood or slack high tide. CORAL GARDEN 
The word garden is the best way to describe this beautiful dive site, which is also perfect for snorkeling. The reef starts in very shallow water and slopes off gently to a maximum depth of 10m/30ft. Between the white sand Large Coral Bommies, Brain Corals, giant plate corals are abundant along with basket sponges and colorful soft corals. Just about every variety of small tropical fish life can be seen, Angel fish, pipe fish, lizard fish, rock cods, Anthias, Damsels and Gobies working with small shrimps only names a few. Many small creatures like Nudibranch and Ribbon Eels make it a fantastic site for underwater photography. Small White tip Reef Sharks can be found sleeping in some of the small caves under large rock formations. You can dive this site almost any time but like most dive sites in Puerto Galera it's a great drift at mid tidal change. NORTH POINT 
This site is very similar to Coral Gardens. The ocean floor is covered in a white sandy bottom with large coral bommies and rock formations. The contour slopes of gently. Large areas of Staghorn coral, basket sponges, plate corals and sandy areas covered in long whip corals with many varieties of small tropical fish. Reef sharks and turtles can be seen in the area. The current can pick up during tidal changes. MARCUS CAVE 
To get to this site requires a blue water descent to the top of a wall in 40m / 130ft. which is covered with whip corals and sea-fans. From there you drop down the face which bottoms out to a sandy bottom in 55m/180ft. There, at the western tip of the wall, is the opening of the cave. It is as wide and deep as a three-car garage so there is plenty of room to explore the inside. You will find a large gorgonia that hangs from the ceiling of the cave, and the brilliant colors of the soft tree corals come to life in the beam of an underwater light. Swarms of smaller fish species and occasional reef sharks are found outside the cave entrance. SWEETLIP CORNER 
A blue water descent to a sandy bottom at 40m/130ft takes you to a field of long whip corals. Along the face of the wall there are some small caves and overhangs with gorgonian fans of all varieties. Impressive population of sweetlips, triggerfish and different species of surgeonfish swarm along the reef. There are also some big moray eels living in the crevices along the wall. You need a good guide to find the site. SECRET REEF 
You start the dive descending deep to the sandy sloping bottom, which is covered by long whip corals. Then, out of the slope, just a rocky cliff formation. On top of this reef are fans and basket sponges and some black coral. The north face drops straight down from 50m/170ft to the bottom of 65m/215ft. If you follow the contour east there are giant overhang with schools of jacks, snapper, batfish and occasional barracudas. There have also been sightings of a 200-pound giant cod at this site. BATANGAS CHANNEL 
The channel slopes off gently to a sandy bottom where in the shallow water the Staghorn coral is abundant along with large Tree corals, Fans and Basket sponges. There is a great variety of small tropical fish in this area. You see Anemones with families of clown fish, Yellow tail and cleaner wrasse. Parrot fish, Trigger fish and if you have a good eye there are Frog fish found camouflaged in the corals. Best to dive this site on the ebb tide where the current will assist you traveling on what can be a nice drift inside the channel. THE HILL 
A short distance past Batangas Channel lie a dozen or so Giant Clams seeded by the University of Manila some years ago. Now flourishing and multiplying in number these clams are a wondrous site and are interesting to watch as their primitive eyes detect light and basic movement leading them to snap shut their gaping maw and push a strong jet of water out through their orifices! Adjacent to these, some of the most diverse and healthy hard coral species can be found standing perpendicular to the current. Sea horses, moray eels and sting rays abound in this undisturbed treasure trove of rare marine creatures. A good dive for novices as long as it is slack water. Good corals and sponges abound, with small reef fish teeming around them. MAMOOD'S REEF 
A good dive for novices as long as it is slack water. basket sponges and fan corals. The reef wall drops off as you follow the contour to 50m/170ft. Along the face of the wall there are some small caves and overhangs with gorgonian fans of all varieties. Impressive population of sweetlips, trigger fish and different species of surgeonfish swarm along the reef. There are also some big moray eels living in the cracks and crevices of the wall. Best to dive at slack high tide and you need a good guide to find the site. DEEP LA LAGUNA REEFS 
These are two reefs that are divided by a sand valley. Both reefs are covered with basket sponges, whip corals, large and small gorgonian fans. The west reef bottoms out at 55m/180ft while the east reef steps off to a depth of 75m/250ft. There are some large rock formations where snappers of several species, surgeon fish and unicorn fish of all descriptions, as well as fusiliers are among the very prevalent schooling species. Sharks and eagle rays are also sometimes sighted. Both reefs can be covered at slack tide. DRY DOCK 
The Dry Dock is a large steel and plywood construction which was originally designed to lift small boats out of the water. It was sunk by La Laguna Dive Center in 1998 to create a man-made reef. The construction lies on a sandy bottom adjacent to a small coral reef. It has become the home of many different species of marine life such as sweetlips, snapper, batfish, surgeonfish, pipefish and many more. There is a giant barracuda residing here, and blue spotted rays are commonly seen on the sandy bottom. After you have checked out the site you can swim a short distance to the shallower depths of La Laguna Point. It is best to dive this site at slack tide. LA LAGUNA POINT 
Extending from the beautiful white beach of Big La Laguna is a very healthy coral reef consisting of stag horn and plate corals that are teeming with fish life. The contour gradually gets steeper as you come to a small wall where sweetlips, small schools of surgeonfish, angel fish and trigger fish are seen. Lionfish and scorpion fish are also common in this area. West of the wall is a white sandy slope where different species of anemones are home to families of clown fish and small shrimp. Sole fish and stargazers can be seen here on night dives. SMALL TO BIG LA LAGUNA 
On ebb tide the current can make this a swift drift dive, and it is possible to cover great distances of breathtaking underwater terrain. Descending into shallow water, the seafloor is covered with staghorn and other hard corals, with an impressive populations of an abundance of fish species. At 12m/40ft you find the wreck of a small aluminum speedboat where sergeant majors swarm and a large black frogfish is commonly seen. Following the reef down to 18m/60ft there are two large coral-covered rock formations, dotted with small sea fans, and home to schools of fusiliers and cardinal fish. THE ALMA JANE WRECK 
The Alma-Jane Wreck is located of the point pier at Small La Laguna Beach. This wreck sits in approximately 30 meters of water on a nice sandy bottom, 30 meters in length and 10 meters tall. It is a great wreck for Nitrox and penetration diving. Sunk in March 2003 it is an all steel inter-island freighter. About 30 meters long and 80 tons, it stands uprights and is buoyed. The descent down the line gives a great sight of the mast and bows rising high off the bottom. It has already attracted lots of batfish and a couple of large emperorfish. This wreck makes an excellent subject for wide angle photography. ANTON'S WRECK (ST CHRISTOPHER) 
A retired 20m live-a-board dive boat sunk off the end of the El Galleon Pier in 1995, this is good start to begin exploring the reef fronting Small Lalaguna Beach. After some time enjoying some large snapper that live on the wreck, the current will propel you up to another wreck, The Speedboat, in 12m/40'. This little wreck is a real favourite since giant frogfish reside here, watching large numbers of Sergeant-Majors defend their purple eggs from opportunistic butterflyfish and wrasses. SABANG REEF 
This small reef starts at 42m/170ft and a series of large rock formations step down to deeper water. It is a difficult reef to find, as it involves a free descent to 42m, and if you are not spot on you just hit sand. The site has a garden of giant gorgonian fans and soft tree corals. There is a large school of banner fish that reside there, but other fish species common to the site are barramundi cod, sweetlips, rabbit fish, batfish and passing shoals of small mackerels and tuna. Best to dive at slack tide, otherwise a current can drift you way off the site during the descent. Best suited for advanced and technical nitrox diving. SABANG WRECKS 
An old wooden fishing junk sunk off the front of Sabang beach in 1993. A resident school of very friendly batfish and large surgeonfish make this a popular dive. Surrounded by sand, the wreck has attracted many eels, large lionfish, damsels, trumpets, and the occasional stonefish. Flounders and stargazers inhabit the sand and excellent place to study the many gobie & shrimp relationships. Great fish feeding. At night, these wrecks transform into a mesmerizing display of colours and many small crustaceans and other macro subjects can be seen scurrying around in the holes around the wreck. Buried in the sand can be found the rare stargazer. A mouth and two eyes point towards the stars, while a tongue flicks in and out - a lure to attract over curious fish. SABANG POINT 
A good wall dropping down to 24m/80', with stony corals, soft corals many fish and unusual invertebrates such as large cuttlefish and octopus. A ridge rising to 5m/15' is covered with more crinoids that are colorful and corals. A good night dive. DEEP MONKEY BEACH 
This is a series of walls, overhangs, ridges and spectacular cliff-like formations that step off to deep water in this area. You could potentially make four different dives here depending on the direction and strength of the current. Common to the area are giant gorgonian fans, basket sponges, soft tree corals and fields high whip corals along with a great diversity of fish life. You may see shoals of sweetlips, unicornfish, snapper, mackerel and tuna. Currents can be strong so best to plan the dives around slack tide. Again, this site is only suitable for advanced and technical nitrox diving due to the depth. MONKEY WRECK 
A 20m/65' local cargo boat sunk in 1993 lies off the main reef in sand and hosts a large school of batfish and some good-size snappers and groupers. Mostly collapsed it still attracts many divers due to the abundant fish life that shelters within the hull. Large emperorfish, angelfish, schools of red toothed triggerfish and the oddly shaped barramundi cod all take shelter within the bare bones of its ribs. Advanced dive due to depth and since the currents can be very tricky. MONKEY BEACH 
A coral slope down to 18m/60' makes an easy dive, good for novices. Small coral heads have crinoids, nudibranchs and plenty of small reef fish. ERNIE'S CAVE 
Ernie was a large lone grouper, sadly departed. There are two caves, one at 21m/70' and the other at 27m/90'. Plentiful fish life, including shoals of surgeonfish, unicornfish, fusiliers and snappers and some very pretty gorgonian fans at depth. Current can be strong. WRECK POINT 
So named after a luckless freighter whose bare ribs can be seen on the shore at low tide. Excellent corals lead down from the large wreck that is actually positioned on the rocks at the surface. Very nice hard corals and all the expected fish make this a good dive for novices and photographers. Further down at 28 meters are the two hulls of a sailing catamaran, sunk by the dive centers back in 1993. On the hull are myriad colours of feather stars, inside the wreck lie small lionfish and moray eels waiting for their next meal. Further up on the reef there is a nice wall with abundant hard and soft coral. Rooted at one end of the wall is a large clam. DUNGON WALL 
Easy multilevel dive. A wreck sits in 27m/90' at the bottom of the wall. The wall rises to 12m/40' where the bottom extends into the bay for an easy safety stop. Good area to for a lot of colour and all Puerto's regular reef life. WEST ESCARCEO 
A dive site suitable for all levels. The reef starts in shallow water and follows a steep slope down to 30m/100'. Depending on the current you may find yourself being propelled towards the Canyons or the Hole In the Wall or simply hanging amongst the schools of fusiliers and tunas. Always lots to point out both above and on the reef. Some very large boulder corals and table corals in shallow water make it a favorite for photographers. HOLE IN THE WALL 
Situated on Escarceo Point, this dive is typically performed as an 18m/60' profile. Allowing for currents you drop into 9m/30' of well-lit water, with fields of table corals as good as anywhere in the world. You descend in several stepped drop-offs, each about 3m/9' and reach The Hole at about 13m/45'. The Hole is about 1.5m/5' wide covered with multi-coloured sponges and crinoids. Without a doubt a world class dive site. FISH BOWL 
This dive requires a blue water descent to the top of the Fish Bowl (40m/130ft). The rocky reef top is stadium-shaped, and is covered with long whip corals and soft tree corals. It drops off to a sandy bottom in deep water. In the bowl you may see whitetip reef sharks, sweetlips and rainbow runners. Looking out into blue water tuna and jacks are common. Multilevel profiles need to be planned, swimming up the contour of the reef to the canyons. Technical divers can venture into the fish bowl and work their way down. Here rocky coral formations, gorgonians and black whip corals break up the sandy bottom, and it is possible to get close to some of the larger fish life when there is a mild current. This site is best dived on a flood tide to avoid strong currents. THE CANYONS 
An advanced dive that requires a good dive guide to allow for the currents to sweep you into position. Racing over several small drop-offs below the Hole in the Wall covered in soft corals and sponges, you can duck into and one of the Canyons for a respite from the current. There is much to find on the bottom but primarily it is the large schools of snapper, emperors, sweetlips, barracudas, jacks, trevally and occasional sharks that make this an exciting dive. The dive ends at a 1.5m/5' anchor embedded in the coral, where the group can gather before being swept off to the safety stop in the current. Excellent Nitrox dive. The most popular dive site in Puerto Galera - you'll want to go back time after time. HORSE HEAD REEF 
The reef covers a very large area with an average depth of about 35m/115ft. The site takes its name from one of the rock formations that resembles a horse's head, but there are other numerous rock formations that make the topography of the site really interesting. Soft tree corals dominate the substrate, along with areas of large whip corals and big gorgonian fans. During strong flood tides shoals of tuna, shoals of jacks and king jacks are regularly seen, making this a great drift dive. Hammerheads and thresher sharks have also been sighted. At the end of the reef is a wall that drops down to 55m/180ft, making this a good site for technical divers. The current here can be very strong, so it is a site recommended only for advanced divers. JOSHUA'S WALL 
The wall runs north to south, is quite long and is between 10m/30ft and 15m/50ft in height. The top is at 60m/200ft and drops off to sand and rocks at about 76m/250ft. Here you may see schools of midnight snapper. The sandy areas seem desert-like, but in the distance are two large atolls. The top of the atolls are at 64m/210ft, dropping to 82m/270ft, where schools of batfish have been seen. The water is cold here (about 15C) so there is limited coral coral growth, but visibility can reach over 30m/100ft. Best to dive this site at slack tide. THE ATOLL 
Rising from 33m/110' to 20m/65' this large rock has several small crevices on the bottom side where reef sharks and stingrays can often be found. On the other side, the rock overhangs making it a good place to explore with a flashlight with many eels, lionfish, nudibranchs and octopus. A large grouper is also spotted sometimes and also the occasional larger pelagic fish. Good for Nitrox. SHARK CAVE 
A large overhang, which is a favourite spot for white-tip reef sharks to rest during the day. Also home to Blue Spotted Sting Rays, Moray Eels and Octopus. About 90 metres from the caves stands the atoll. This building sized rock harbours many moray eels, lionfish and scorpionfish. Red toothed triggerfish hover above the rock and duck into holes at the slightest sign of danger. Usually visited at the beginning of a multilevel dive o the Pink Wall or as a stop on the way to the Canyons. Good for Nitrox. PINK WALL 
An overhang which, when dived on the correct tide, is perfect for novices and photographers. Surface conditions can be a little rough. Good night dive. THE STEPS 
A series of reefs, small walls and varying contours that range in depth from 30m/100ft to 5m/15ft make the Steps a great multilevel dive. The dive starts as you descend down to the deepest reef, then make your way up past a small wall covered with hard and soft corals and teeming with fish life, including shoals of batfish, tuna and surgeonfish. Eagle rays have been observed at this dive too. Ascending to shallower depths you pass over basket sponges and prolific mushroom corals interspersing ferns and small gorgonians. Triggerfish and various species of puffer fish, such as spotted box fish and porcupine fish are common, along with colorful parrot fish of different species. The fish are generally very diverse with lots of bigger species well represented. On the shallowest part of the dive are plate corals and brain corals, and turtles are regularly seen serenely cruising over the reef. KILIMA DRIFT 
The phase of the moon will determine the strength of the current on ebb tide of this exciting "high-voltage" drift dive with current speeds that can reach up to 6 knots. The dive can be kept shallow or deep depending on the experience of the divers. The dive can start well up current from Sinandigan Wall, but once you pass the wall up- and down-currents can be experienced which result due to the topography of the area. After this, the current then slows down but pushes you up into shallow water. For multilevel dives, or dives that have been planned to finish at the Hole in the Wall, in this is fine, but if the planned depth is 27m/90ft then hard finning is required, and it best to keep your eyes on the dive guide for direction. The current changes again to pick you up and sweep you across the ocean floor, where sea whips seem to cling to the rock for dear life along with siphon sponges and gorgonians. TURTLE ROCK 
Follow the slope down at the bottom of Sinandigan Wall to a giant rock at 45m/150ft, healthy with marine life, such as gorgonians and sea whips. Sweet-lips and snapper are common, and whitetip reef sharks and turtle are sometimes seen here. this site is best dived on the flood tide. SINANDIGAN WALL 
This wall drops off from five to about forty metres. It is home to a huge range of invertebrates and so is popular with both naturalists and photographers. Dives here often turn into Nudibranch hunts. Nudi (naked), branchs (lungs) are brightly coloured sea slugs that eat sponges. Many fish avoid eating sponges because of the powerful chemicals in their cells. The nudibranchs can also store these chemicals in their own bodies making them bad to eat. Hence the bright colour is a simple warning sign ‘I taste bad’. THE BOULDERS 
At the surface you face a vertical stone wall and a few large boulders breaking the surface. As you descend underwater, down the slope, the site is covered with different shapes and sizes of boulders that look like they have rolled from the surface and have come to rest on the slope, creating swim-through and cave. There are gorgonians of many colors, basket sponges and soft tree corals here. Blue fingered starfish, sea cucumbers, stonefish, scorpion fish, lionfish, spotted snapper and striped sweetlips are all abundant here, and in the caves small lobster and prawns can be found. It is best to dive this site on flood tide when there is no current as the area has a lot of silt sediment. It is a good site for wide-angle macro photography. JAPANESE WRECK 
Situated on a flat sandy bottom, all that remains of this WWII Japanese patrol boat is the engine block and propeller shaft. Two very large moray eels are resident, along with 30+ sweetlips. A large orange stonefish is also hidden amongst the engine along with a wealth of small invertebrates. A flashlight makes for a memorable dive. Good Nitrox dive. TALIPANAN REEF 
A 25-minute boat ride west of Puerto Galera is a pinnacle 500m/1650ft offshore. The top is at 15m/50ft and has a huge diversity of small fish, basket sponges, hard and soft corals. On the north-west face it drops off to over 80m/265ft where gorgonian fans are abound. A plateau in the shallow depths drops off vertically at 24m/80ft. In mid water there are shoals of surgeons and unicornfish; often giant tuna come in from the depth to feed. Below, schools of midnight and black snappers appear to swim towards you, breaking away at the last minute. CHICKEN FEATHER IS. HOT SPRING 
This small island is a 30-minute boat ride from Puerto Galera, so most dive centers make whole day trips here, with a picnic lunch on the beach between dives. At the west end of the island is a small caves where whitetip reef sharks are commonly found. From here, make your way down a volcanic soft rock slope that has small streams of hot water flowing from the cracks. This hot water appears as shimmering apparitions in the water. You then enter the crater of what may have been a volcano, the floor of which is covered in small volcanic rocks and streams of small bubbles of sulfuric gas rise up to the surface. It is a truly amazing sight. CHICKEN FEATHER IS. EAST SIDE 
On the north-east end of the island you make your way down the sloping reef to level off at anywhere between 18m/24ft and 24m/80ft. Shoals of jacks and surgeons are seen in mid-water as you drift by spectacular rock and coral formations. Depending on the strength of the current you finish the dive at a small pinnacle that drops off into deeper water. Here you can shelter from the current and observe the abundant lionfish, eels and nudibranchs before making your way up to the top of the pinnacle at 9m/30ft. Beware of the down-currents in this area. It is best to dive here on flood tide. THE WASHING MACHINE 
The washing machine is a series of seven canyons between 12 and 28 metres. Usually dived less than 15m the diver is treated to a rollercoaster ride when the current is running. Drifting into the canyons you are spun from one side to another in the current. Moving from one canyon to another can present problems and it is easy to be swept away. Best to stay close to the bottom and watch the small fish spin. Where they seem to be stationary is probably the best place to cross the current. Requires a good guide and some experience of current diving. Made at slack tide it is an easy dive. BLACKFISH PINNACLE 
This is a fantastic site, but hard to hit if there is a current present, so timing is very important. The top of the pinnacle at 24m / 80ft is quite small and easy to miss. From there is a steep drop off to very deep water. Recreational divers can make their way down the side of the pinnacle to 40m / 130m where you can swim out along the top of the flat part of the reef which has large rock formations colored by soft corals of every size, giant gorgonian fans, whip corals and giant basket sponges. Current brings out the best of fish life, especially shoals of batfish and jacks. THE DROPOFF 
Pinnacles reach the surface on the East side of Verde Island and drop away to great depths. A vertical reef with some nice gorgonian fans, sea snakes and frogfish and some large pelagic schools.
Puerto Galera Map Verde Island Map 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46
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